Rob Adams

Architect and urban designer Rob Adams is the City of Melbourne’s director of City Design. He began working at the City in the mid-1980s, where he spearheaded the then-moribund CBD’s transformation into the cosmopolitan cityscape we enjoy today. He oversaw the pedestrian-friendly redevelopment of Swanston Street; the opening up of laneways for retail use; the QV development; the creation of Birrarung Marr; and the CH2 building, whose passive heating and cooling, power generation and blackwater treatment made it the first purpose-built office building in Australia to achieve a maximum Six Green Star rating. Even the CBD’s bluestone paving, pedestrian bridges, street furniture, lighting, public art, signage and tree plantings reveal his thoughtful, people-friendly approach.

Rob is currently working on design and planning strategies to accommodate future population growth within Melbourne’s existing metropolitan boundaries. He lectures at RMIT and at the University of Melbourne, where he has been a Professorial Fellow since 2004.